


Let's Play Pretend

by hwadesal



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: College AU, Fluff, M/M, Seongjoong Centric, Woosan, bad boy san coz why not, but mostly fluff and light hearted stuff, i have warned you, implied yunhwa, it will be quite heavy angst, jongsang, self-indulgent fic, seongjoong, slight yunhwa if you squint, there will be angst, yungi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24961666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hwadesal/pseuds/hwadesal
Summary: Seonghwa wants his parents to stop worrying. Hongjoong needs money to put up his studio.Also.San isn’t as indifferent as he pretends to be. Wooyoung isn’t as innocent as he seems. Yunho just wants to help his friend. Mingi thinks he’s becoming a stalker. Yeosang wonders if he’s the only one who can see the obvious. Jongho is supposed to be only here for his song.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 11
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is a self-indulgent seongjoong-centric fic! i hope you like it.  
> follow me on twitter @/ennhwa :D  
> comments are greatly appreciated

Seonghwa sighs as he plops down in front of San who was adjusting his glasses. San raises an eyebrow questioningly. Seonghwa sighs deeper but fixes his posture and places his chin over his hands. “Your fans are going to be so disappointed if they see you like that, Park Seonghwa,” San says in a matter-of-fact tone as he returns to the book he was reading. “Your mother is going to nag you if she sees you like that,”

“She’s already nagging; they both are,” Seonghwa says but fixes his posture so that his back was straight and his hands were properly propped into the table. “They keep asking about my relationships,” Seonghwa sighs.

“But you don’t have one. You’ve never had one,” San says, not even looking up from his book. Seonghwa raises an eyebrow. San sighs as he closes his book and removes his glasses. “Well, what is it this time?”

Seonghwa fixes his position again, as if straightening his back would make telling what had happened any easier. “I was on the phone with my mother, you know, for that quarterly dinner my family hosts for the company…,” he trails off. San nods, urging him to continue. “And well, my mother kept telling me about this executive’s son who’s the same age and how he’s had a ‘strong relationship’ going for him,” Seonghwa rolls his eyes at the thought.

“She just kept going on and on and on and-,” Seonghwa sighs, yet again, this time deeper than his previous ones.

“-you snapped,” San finishes for him. Seonghwa nods and buries his face into his palms. He speaks, but his words are muffled by his hands. “I don’t understand a word you’re saying,”

Seonghwa slightly lifts his head. “I told her I’m also in a relationship,”

San blinks. He blinks again. And again. Seonghwa wants to fall into a hole. When the older boy’s words finally sink in, San erupts into a fit of laughter. “You…,” he manages to blurt out in between his laughter. “…the goody-two-shoes Park Seonghwa, lied to his mother,”

Seonghwa pouts. “No…,” he whines. “Don’t say it like that. And stop laughing,”

San finally manages to calm down and wipes away a tear. “Well, what do you plan on doing?”

“I’m here because I need help,”

San raises an eyebrow and slowly backs away from Seonghwa. “Look, we’ve known each other a long time, and I love you, but I don’t see you that way. You’re not my type,”

It’s now Seonghwa’s turn to raise an eyebrow at San. “Well obviously. You like ones with long, black hair and wears a hoodie, after all,” Seonghwa teases. “No, no, I’m sorry. Don’t leave,” Seonghwa pushes his palm together when San makes a movement to leave.

At that time, Yunho arrives, just finishing his class. “Hey, what’s with this atmosphere?”

“Yunho-ya,” Seonghwa pouts and wraps his arms around Yunho’s while he places his head on the taller boy’s shoulder.

San rolls his eyes. “This dumbass made a huge blunder, that’s what,”

Yunho raises an eyebrow. San tells him what Seonghwa had just told him a few minutes ago while Seonghwa buries his head deeper into the curve between Yunho’s neck and shoulder. When San finishes, Yunho makes an ‘O’ with his mouth. “Huh, but now that you mention it, in all the years we’ve known each other, you haven’t had any relationship. Do you even have friends beside us?”

“I have Yeosang,”

San gives him a deadpan look. “Yeosang belongs in the ‘us’ category,”

“…”

“That’s okay. It’s okay,” Yunho lightly rubs Seonghwa’s back.

“You’re the only one I have, Yunho-ya,”

San rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, but you still haven’t thought of a solution y’know. And the dinner is in a week’s time,”

San’s words wake Seonghwa up and he separates himself from Yunho. “What should I do?” Seonghwa’s eyes perk up when he thinks of an idea. “Why don’t I just bring one of you to the dinner?”

Yunho gives Seonghwa a sad smile while San shakes his head. “And what? Tell your parents we’re in a relationship? As if they haven’t known us since we were practically crawling,”

Seonghwa’s shoulders drop. “Then what should I do?”

“You might be onto something though,” San starts, getting the attentions of the two boys. “Why don’t you pay someone to pretend? I mean, a lot of students would die for a chance to go on a date with you, y’know,”

Yunho shrugs his shoulder. “I’m not so sure, about the whole paying to pretend thing. Is it safe? I mean, how will we know if the other person’s good or not,”

San places a hand on Yunho’s shoulder. “Well, that’ll be easy, y’know. We have the resources. But we have to choose someone first. Someone who’s going to be perfect, someone you’ll introduce to your parents, and someone who has a good reputation in school,” San says, looking around.

Seonghwa tilts his head and bites his upper lip. “I haven’t even agreed to it yet, though,”

**-…-**

“Your submission for this assignment is a really great piece, Hongjoong,” the professor gives Hongjoong a smile as he hands the boy an envelope containing Hongjoong’s song and its lyrics sheet. “Although that is expected from you; the star of the composition department. There are some parts that needs to be tweaked, but I won’t go into technical details for this meeting and since this is an assignment, details like those can be ignored. All in all, a job well done,” he pats Hongjoong on the back.

Hongjoong gives the professor a polite smile and a small bow before taking his leave. Once outside, he releases the breath he didn’t know he was holding and stretches his arms before keeping his assignment inside his bag. He notices Wooyoung sitting in one of the benches in front of the faculty office, waiting for him. “Wooyoung-ah, sorry I took so long,”

Hearing his name being called out, Wooyoung looks up from his phone and gives a smile as he sees Hongjoong walking towards him. He shoves his phone inside his pocket and stands up to meet the older boy halfway. “Did everything go well?” Wooyoung asks as he tucks his hair behind his ear.

“Of course,” Hongjoong puffs his chest out with pride. This earns a laugh from Wooyoung who then lightly slaps the older boy on the back. “Let’s head back to the apartment. It’s getting late,” he says as he looks at the time showed on his phone.

“Let’s grab something to eat before going home,” Wooyoung says as he rubs his belly. Hongjoong nods and the two of them make their way out of the school building. They walk for a while before stopping in front of a spicy rice cake shop.

The owner notices the two of them arrive and gives them a warm smile. “How are the two of you today?” she asks as she waves for them to sit on an empty table.

“We’re good, ahjumma. Hongjoong-hyung here just got praised,” Wooyoung winks at the ahjumma who chuckles at the cute act.

“Then I guess I have to give you a bigger portion to celebrate,” the lady smiles and heads to the back. The two boys were regulars at the shop and they have been eating at the shop for such a long time, the owner already knows them. They always chat about how business was doing and how were things in university. She always gives them extra portions, saying how she is always reminded of when her son was younger whenever she sees the two boys.

Fifteen minutes later, a pot of instant noodles and a big serving of spicy rice cakes are placed in front of the two boys. “I made sure to not make it so spicy for you, Hongjoong,” the lady smiles.

“Thank you for the food!” the two boys say before digging in. “By the way,” Wooyoung says in between his chewing. Hongjoong looks up from his food and raises an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. “How’s it going with your plans for a studio?”

Hongjoong wipes the corner of his lips and sighs. “Pretty hard. I’ve seen a place, and it’s perfect. It’s also already fully furnished. The location isn’t bad since it’s only a few blocks from our apartment,”

“That’s great then. What’s stopping you?”

“Money. It’s so expensive, I don’t think I’ll be able to afford it. I’ve looked for other places but even if I chose an unfurnished one, I’ll still be spending a lot on the equipment and even if I do find a furnished one that’s cheaper, I’ll be spending more on money for transportation,” he explains. “This place is the perfect choice,”

Wooyoung looks at Hongjoong with a sad expression. “I really wish I could help you, hyung,”

Hongjoong gives Wooyoung a smile. “No, no. I know you’re already having a hard time yourself,”

“Can’t you rent it?”

Hongjoong shakes his head. “The owner doesn’t allow renting, and I really do not have the time to get another part time job. This is hard,”


	2. Chapter 2

Seonghwa sighs as he mindlessly pokes at the strawberry cake sitting in front of him. Yeosang looks up from his book and raises an eyebrow. “Do you want me to ask what’s wrong?” Yeosang says, returning his gaze to his book when Seonghwa deepens his pout. “No, wait, I already know. Is this about your family’s dinner?”

Seonghwa nods as he takes a bite out of his cake. “I’ve talked with San and Yunho earlier and they told me to pay someone to pretend to be my boyfriend, just for a couple of weeks to get my parents to stop worrying,”

“And? Where’s the problem in that?”

“Well, I mean…,” Seonghwa trails off. He’s not sure whether he could say it out loud but Seonghwa is a romantic, after all. He believes two people should only be together because they like each other, not because of money. It doesn’t sit right with him, paying someone to pretend to like him, even if he doesn’t seem to have any other choice at the moment.

Yeosang, seemingly sensing the inner turmoil happening within Seonghwa, closes his book to give his friend his undivided attention. “I understand you don’t feel comfortable with the thought, but it’s really the fastest solution you have at the moment. The dinner’s in one week, after all,” Yeosang says. Seonghwa merely groans in response. “I wonder what your fans would think if they see you like this. The ever so perfect Seonghwa-sunbae, groaning and pouting,”

“As if I’d let other people see me like this. My father would chop all my hair off,” Seonghwa says, straightening his position and crossing his legs. Yeosang merely shrugs in affirmation. It was true, after all. Seonghwa’s father is a good man, Yeosang knows that well. But he is also very aware of the stern education Seonghwa and his older brother had to go through in their youth. For people like Seonghwa and his family, whose lives are often under the watchful eyes of the public, they have to be extremely careful with how they present themselves to the public.

Yeosang takes a sip of his coffee. “Did your brother say anything?”

Seonghwa shakes his head as he takes another bite of his cake. “But I can already hear him laughing at me,”

The two boys fall into silence for a couple of minutes before an idea pops into Yeosang’s head. “Hey, hyung, why don’t you look at it this way; you could just say that the two of you are still on a getting-to-know each other stage. You’ll spend the remaining time until the dinner to actually get to know your partner, y’know, to ease your mind. This way, when you tell your parents you broke up, it won’t be so hard to believe,” Yeosang explains, eyes wide and filled with excitement.

Seonghwa’s eyes widen as he process Yeosang’s words. He grins and places a hand on Yeosang’s shoulder. “You are a genius! I mean, you are, but you ARE!” Seonghwa grabs his phone and quickly types Yeosang’s idea into the chat room the four of them share. “Hey, look at the time. Let’s head home, Yeosang-ah,” Seonghwa says as he finishes his typing and the last bite of his cake. Yeosang nods, arranging his books into his bag.

The two boys begin walking back towards their apartment, earning stares, pointed fingers and hushed whispers of ‘they’re so handsome’ and ‘are they celebrities’ from people they pass by. It was nothing new though. The two boys were already used to people staring at them. It did bother Yeosang before, especially during their youth, but now, he’s learned to just ignore their staring.

“Let’s pass by the CVS and buy some snacks,” Seonghwa says, pointing at the CVS from across their apartment building. Yeosang nods and they walk towards the crosswalk.

-…-

Hongjoong groans as the sunlight hits his face. He rubs his tired eyes and looks at the clock: 10:39. Sighing, he gets up from his chair and starts packing his stuff up when his phone rings. “Hello?” he answers the phone without looking at the caller ID. “Er, hello?” he says again when the person on the other line doesn’t speak.

He’s about to check the caller ID when a voice calls out. “Hongjoong-hyung! Where are you?”

“Mingi? What’s up?” Hongjoong answers as he balances his phone in between his shoulder and cheek as he returns to packing his things.

He hears some other people speaking to Mingi before the younger replies. “What do you mean ‘what’s up’? Where are you? Have you forgotten what today is?” Mingi almost yells his response. Hongjoong’s eyes widen when he glances at the calendar on his table.

“Shit! Today’s that sharing!” Hongjoong slaps himself as he rushes. How could he forget today? He had been looking forward to the sharing for weeks now. A famous producer was coming to their university to share some things about his work and process and would be available for consultation. Hongjoong doesn’t hear Mingi anymore as he rushes out of his room and into the living room where Wooyoung was currently at, burying himself in his books for finals. “I’m heading out!” he shouts before running out the door.

Wooyoung lifts his head but doesn’t catch a glimpse of Hongjoong. He shrugs and returns to his books.

Hongjoong runs at full speed, careful not to hit other pedestrians while apologizing for the disturbance. He keeps glancing at his watch, worried that he might become late. He feels people staring at him and he can feel his cheeks flush, half due to running and half due to embarrassment, but he ignores the stares and keeps running.

From afar, he can make out Mingi’s figure, waving his hands at him while urging him to hurry up. Hongjoong releases one last burst of energy, arriving just in time for the bell to ring, signalling that there was 10 minutes left. “I-,” Hongjoong takes a deep breath to calm his breathing. “-made it,”

Mingi shakes his head in disapproval. “Barely. How could you forget, hyung?” he asks Hongjoong as he hands the older boy his ticket for the event.

Hongjoong gives a sheepish smile. “I’ve been so busy lately. It just skipped my mind,” he says, thanking Mingi for the ticket. After Hongjoong catches his breath, the two boys begin walking towards the auditorium where the event is going to be held, when a group of voices catches their attention. Turning towards the source of the voices, they see a flock of girls and some guys, surrounding what seems to be two figures sitting on a bench. “Who are those?”

Mingi raises an eyebrow. “You don’t know them hyung?” When Hongjoong shakes his head, Mingi explains. “They’re apparently the prides of the chemistry department. If I remember correctly, one is named Kang Yeosang and the other is Park Seonghwa. THE Park Seonghwa,” Mingi emphasizes.

“Why are they surrounded by people?”

“You don’t usually go to this area so you don’t know, but they’re pretty famous in school, for their looks, it seems. I think they’re just trying to get into Park Seonghwa’s good side,” Mingi shrugs, turning his attention somewhere else.

Hongjoong tilts his head. He tries to squint to see better but the group of students hide the two boys. “You keep emphasizing his name. Why is that?”

At Hongjoong’s question, Mingi stops walking and grabs Hongjoong’s shoulder. “You do not know Park Seonghwa? He’s the youngest son of the Park Conglomerate. He’s part of the 0.1%,”

“Oh,”

“Seriously hyung, how do you not know all of these?” Mingi shakes his head as he resumes walking.

“Rather, how do you know all of those?” Hongjoong asks Mingi as he catches up to the younger boy.

Mingi puffs his chest in pride and grins. “Don’t underestimate my information network!” he laughs. “Seriously though, it’s hearsay. People always talk about them. Even people not from their department know them. But the ‘pride of the chemistry department’ is true though. I heard that department hasn’t had students as good as those two in over a decade,”

Hongjoong just nods in response to Mingi who slings his arm around the older boy’s shoulder. “But of course, YOU are the pride of the composition department!” he says.

Their chatting comes into an abrupt halt when they reach the auditorium and are ushered into their seats. Thoughts of famous people and conglomerates disappear into the back of Hongjoong’s mind as he listens intently to the speaker, absorbing everything like a sponge.


	3. Chapter 3

“Hello, you must be Kim Hongjoong,” a friendly, man in his early 30s says as he walks towards Hongjoong who almost drops the cup of coffee he was holding. “I’m here to talk to you about the demo you submitted during the sharing earlier,” he smiles as he hands the USB stick back to Hongjoong who rushes to take it, thanking the man.

The man gives a friendly laugh and motions for them to take a seat in one of the sofas in the building lobby. Hongjoong nods and follows him. “Well, first thing’s first, I guess,” the man says when they get comfortable. “Your music is really good. It’s not something I would expect coming from a student like yourself, who’s still in the middle of his education,” he gives Hongjoong a friendly smile.

Hongjoong nods his head in appreciation. “Thank you sir,”

The man grins. “Have you ever thought of opening your own studio? Maybe, once you graduate?”

“I am, sir, actually. I’m trying to open a studio right now,”

The man widens his eyes. “Oh? I bet it’s pretty hard, right? Money-wise, I mean,” he says to Hongjoong who nods his head. “Opening a studio as a student is pretty heavy on the pocket. I know, because I opened my first studio when I was a student,”

It was now Hongjoong’s turn to widen his eyes. “Do you mean the studio you’re handling now, sir?”

The man chuckles as he shakes his head. “I didn’t share this during the event earlier because it’s nothing but a series of failures. Won’t be good for a sharing for a group of budding composers, wouldn’t it?” he laughs. “But no. The studio I have right now is actually my 5th. My first one was a one-man studio I opened when I was just a year older than you are right now. I found this small basement space and opened it there. The rent was pretty cheap but I had to spend a lot of money for equipment. In the end, all that venture did was punch a hole through my pockets…,” he trails off.

“Oh,” Hongjoong says, eyes wide as he listens intently.

“I did end up making and selling a song through that studio, but the money I got from it just when to paying debt. In the end, I had to close it within 6 months, or else, I’ll be filing for bankruptcy within the following year,” he pauses when he sees Hongjoong’s downcast gaze. He lightly pats the boy on the shoulder in an act of comfort. “I’m not sharing this to you to discourage you. It’s actually the opposite. I learned so many things during that hard time which has helped me to get to where I am now. Honestly, I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” he adds.

He continues after a moment of silence. “You’re very talented, Hongjoong. You have potential and I know you’ll go far. I’m often right about these things, you know,” the man puffs out his chest in pride.

“Thank you sir, really,” Hongjoong says.

The man smiles. “But I didn’t come out here just to talk to you about my youth. I can’t help you out with opening your studio, unfortunately, but how about a job?”

Hongjoong’s eyes widen in surprise. “A job for me, sir?”

The man nods his head as he hands Hongjoong a folder. “This is Choi Jongho. He’s a student in this university too and he’s a vocal major. One of the best singers I’ve heard in a while, honestly. Do you know him?” the man asks when Hongjoong’s eyes widen at the mention of Jongho.

Hongjoong nods his head. “He’s one of my friends. I usually have him sing samples for me,” he explains as he scans through the file.

“Oh, then this makes it a lot easier. You see, the vocal department is planning on releasing an album for some of their best students but they don’t want professionals to do it, saying they want a ‘made by students for students’ thing. One of the reasons I agreed to the sharing is to scout for some talent,” the man smiles. “I’ve approached a number of students regarding this. I can’t guarantee you a spot, but if the administration likes your song, they’ll put it in the album and you’ll be paid for the song as well as royalties,” he explains.

Hongjoong takes a deep bow. “Thank you sir, really,”

“With you being friends with Jongho makes it the best choice for you to be assigned him. He’s very versatile and quite popular in your department, but it seems like some of the students I approached are intimidated by him. I guess they’re scared they won’t be able to give him justice. Did you know even professional producers are trying to scout him?”

Hongjoong nods his head. “I’ve heard from him. He says he’s not interested though,”

The man shrugs. “He’s young after all. Probably doesn’t want to be tied down. I did work with him a couple times though. What a talent,”

Hongjoong nods his head in affirmation, feeling proud of his friend. “All the information regarding the project is in that folder. I suggest asking the vocal administration for any other information. It won’t give you enough money to open your studio, but it should help,” he says. “Well, I should go. Do your best, Hongjoong,” the man smiles as he shakes Hongjoong’s hand before saying goodbye.

As if on cue, Jongho arrives and sees Hongjoong. The younger boy waves as he jogs towards him. “Hey hyung,” he calls out as he arrives in front of Hongjoong. “What’s that?” he asks, pointing at the folder in Hongjoong’s hand.

“Your profile for the vocal department album,”

Jongho’s eyes widen. “Are you joining it, hyung? Great!” the boy beams. Hongjoong smiles. They continue chatting as they start walking towards the university cafeteria to meet up with Mingi and Wooyoung.

-…-

“You know, I don’t understand why you were so reluctant in the first place,” San says as he sips his coffee. The four of them were currently in the university cafeteria having lunch while waiting for their respective classes, although if he were to be honest, it seemed like Seonghwa and Yeosang were always in the cafeteria. “Do you not have classes?” he asks.

“Free week, apparently. Professors just shoved a bunch of homework and called it a day,” Yeosang explains as he takes a bite out of his chicken. “A good thing too ‘coz I have orders backed up,”

“Orders?” Yunho asks as he stealthily steals a piece of meat from Seonghwa’s plate; not that the older male minded.

Yeosang nods and follows Yunho and steals a piece of meat. “I made this lotion, organic and really good for your skin, for a class assignment and classmates liked it so they wanted me to sell some. I won’t say no to a chance to earn,” Yeosang shrugs.

“Why haven’t we heard of this? You should sell us some too!” Yunho says, pouting his lips.

San nods and takes a bite of his food. “My sister would love something like that,” he adds.

Yeosang nods. “Alright, alright. If I have excess, I’ll give it to the two of you,” he says just as Seonghwa wipes the corner of his lips. “Thanks,” he says.

“You’re not that enthusiastic about my perfumes,” Seonghwa pouts as he continues slicing his steak, aware of the stealing happening. “They’re all formulated especially for you, you know,”

San raises an eyebrow as he fishes out a bottle from his bag and places it in front of Seonghwa. Yunho and Yeosang follow suit, each bringing out a half-empty bottle. “I use it every day, y’know,”

Yunho nods. “I’ve been complimented on my perfume,” he adds.

Seonghwa feels the corners of his lips rise before stopping and continuing his teasing. “But you don’t seem so happy whenever I give you one…,” he deepens his pout. At this, the three younger boys realize what he was doing and returns their bottles to their bags.

“But we’re almost out though, so I’m expecting a new one soon,” San says just as they finish their meal.

Seonghwa nods. “I’m working on a new one but I’ve been so busy with school that I haven’t really gone to shop for ingredients yet,” he says. “Then there’s that dinner…,”

“Oh, right. By the way, I found the perfect person,” San nonchalantly says. Seonghwa’s eyes widen as Yunho gasps. “Did I forget to tell you? Sorry,” San shrugs.

“Who is it? Who is it?” Yunho asks, curiosity getting better of him.

San points at a table by the corner, far from their own. “Do you see that table over there?”

The boys look at the direction he was pointing at and sees a table where four students were sitting, one of them being very familiar to the boys. “That’s the table where your guy sits,” Yeosang says, earning a glare from San, which Yeosang just shrugs off.

“ANYWAYS, you see that shorter guy with blue hair? The one who’s busy with his laptop?” San continues as the three boys look. “That’s Kim Hongjoong. He’s really popular in school and is apparently the pride of their department. He’s won an award last year, if I’m not mistaken. He’s in the composing department with the tall guy. A lot of people sing praises about him, y’know. The perfect ‘mother’s friend’s son’ if you ask me,”

“I’ve never heard of him,” Seonghwa says.

San rolls his eyes. “Well of course. You don’t listen to gossip because you are the topic of gossip,”

“So you listen to gossip?” Yeosang asks.

San frowns. “Of course not. But I overheard some students talking about him the other day so I remembered and checked,”

Seonghwa shakes his head. “You really shouldn’t use your connections for things like that. What will your father say?”

Yunho raises an eyebrow. “I’ve heard of him. Apparently, some upperclassmen from my club had him produce a track for one of their performances. It was really good. That’s some blue hair though. Is that even allowed in school? Did you check him?”

“Of course. I already pulled the strings. He apparently lives away from his family. I don’t know why though. Any deeper would be borderline illegal after all. Also, I don’t want to hear that from someone with peach hair,” San says, pointing at Yunho’s own peach-colored hair.

“Hey!” Yunho pouts, patting his hair.

Yeosang points at the table. “You know, I think you have an ulterior motive,”

San shrugs. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,”

Seonghwa frowns. “How do we open it up with him, though?”

“We? No. You’re doing it yourself,” San flatly says.

Yunho pats Seonghwa’s shoulder. “I suggest you do it when he’s alone. You know, to avoid the embarrassment. He seems pretty nice, I guess. I think he won’t be the type to embarrass you publicly, but doing it in private would be the best idea,”

Seonghwa sighs, nodding and steeling his resolve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they're finally going to meet? O_O  
> follow me on twitter XD @/ennhwa  
> also, comeback is near!  
> i changed my username


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! do comment down your thoughts.  
> also, i uploaded the entry i sent to the storyline event here, so please do check that one out as well.  
> follow me on twitter @/ennhwa  
> let's spazz about ateez and get excited for their comeback together

“Calling student Kim Hongjoong, student Kim Hongjoong, please go to the faculty office. I repeat-,”

Hongjoong looks up from his notes when he feels someone touch his shoulder. He sees his professor staring at him. “They’re calling you to the faculty office, Hongjoong. You best go,” Hongjoong nods his head and quickly packs up his stuff and heads to the faculty office where he is greeted by the secretary who ushers him into small consultation room where a seated figure waits for him with his head down.

The blue-haired boy quietly walks towards the table, cautious. “Um, excuse me?” The moment the figure looks up, Hongjoong gets so surprised he almost drops his bag. Park Seonghwa. Now that Hongjoong was able to see him in close proximity, he sees exactly why people sing praises of his looks. He looked intimidating, if Hongjoong was to be perfectly honest, but his eyes were very mesmerizing, and the way they stared at Hongjoong, made him feel like he was staring at every inch of him and it made him flustered. Gathering every bit of his confidence, he looks up and stares right back at Seonghwa.

Seonghwa coughs, suffocated by the awkwardness surrounding the two of them. “You, um, you must have been shocked that I called you here, Kim Hongjoong-ssi, when we don’t even know each other. Um, I’m-,”

“Park Seonghwa,”

Seonghwa’s eyes widen, surprise evident on his face. “You know me?”

Hongjoong shakes his head. “No, but I heard about you from my friend. You’re apparently quite famous,”

Seonghwa laughs dryly. “I hope you haven’t heard anything bad or embarrassing,” Seonghwa smiles, scratching his neck in embarrassment and Hongjoong almost feels his heart escape from his chest. ‘ _He even looks good smiling like that.’_ “I’m sorry if I came off as intimidating. I don’t mean to scare you…,” Seonghwa trails off, voice deep and quiet.

Hongjoong shakes his head and gives Seonghwa a small smile. “It’s true that you did come off as a bit intimidating at first, but you weren’t scary at all!” he says, giving the boy an awkward thumbs up. ‘ _Quite the opposite, actually,’_ Hongjoong thinks as he looks away.

Seonghwa smiles before taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. Hongjoong tilts his head in confusion. Seonghwa clears his throat before speaking. “I called you here for a reason, Hongjoong-ssi-,”

“Just Hongjoong is fine,”

“Oh, then you can call me Seonghwa as well,” Seonghwa blinks, slightly surprised. “As I was saying, I called you here because…,” Seonghwa trails off as he takes a deep breath. Hongjoong blinks, slightly getting worried at the serious tone the conversation was taking. “I would like to ask you for a favour, a really, really, big favour,”

Hongjoong couldn’t hide his surprise at Seonghwa’s words. They don’t know each other, after all.. “A favour?”

Seonghwa nods. “It’s a really big favour and I completely understand if you do not agree to it. Even I think it’s wrong but at this time, I really have no other choice and I really would appreciate it if you agree, but I’m not pressuring you or anything. What am I saying? I-,”

“Hold up, hold up. I can’t understand a word you’re saying,” Hongjoong stops Seonghwa who was speaking in one breath. “What favour is it?”

“I-I’ll probably need to give you some context. You probably heard about my parents, right?” Seonghwa pauses and Hongjoong nods to urge him to continue. “Well, you see, my parents, they, uh, they organize this dinner, a quarterly dinner for executives of their company and well, this and that happened, and I ended up telling my mom that I…have…someone…,”

Hongjoong raises an eyebrow. “Are you asking me to come with you to the dinner?” When the words come out of his mouth, Hongjoong feels his cheeks heat up but he quickly swallows down the blush that was threatening to rise.

“You’re so quick to catch on…ha,” Seonghwa awkwardly laughs before looking away, unable to meet Hongjoong’s eyes.

“Uh, you do know we don’t know each other, right?” Hongjoong asks, completely in disbelief. He almost could not believe the words coming out of Seonghwa’s mouth.

Seonghwa nods. “I’m not asking you to do it for free. I am willing to pay you for the whole duration of the act…,” Seonghwa sighs. “I’m sorry…that came out wrong,”

Hongjoong stares at Seonghwa. “That makes it sound like a service, and it’s honestly quite insulting,”

Seonghwa jolts up, slightly slamming the table and surprising Hongjoong. “No! I didn’t mean it like that. I wouldn’t do this is I had another choice. I’m really sorry if I offended you and I didn’t mean to insult you. Please, just forget this conversation ever happened. I’m sorry for bothering you,” Seonghwa takes a deep bow and starts walking towards the door.

“Why me?”

Seonghwa pauses at Hongjoong’s question. He turns around and sees Hongjoong staring at him. Seonghwa makes his way back to his chair and sits. “I heard about you from my friend. I heard you were a good guy. I looked you up and listened to your work while waiting for you…,” Seonghwa pushes his phone towards and Hongjoong and sure enough, it shows that he had been listening to one of Hongjoong’s songs. “Even the staff here sung praises about you when I asked for you. You seemed, no, seem like a person I could trust,” he explains.

“You’re saying that to someone you haven’t even met personally,”

Seonghwa awkwardly laughs. “I guess. People do call me a bit too trusting, but I’ve never been wrong with my gut. Also…,” Seonghwa reaches for his phone and searches for something before pushing it back to Hongjoong who looks at the screen and sees a cover he had uploaded months earlier. “Anyone who could write something like that is surely a good person,” Seonghwa says, a fond smile on his face as he takes his phone back, reading Hongjoong’s lyrics with his eyes.

Hongjoong sighs. “You’ve been really honest, Seonghwa, and I don’t want to lie; I do need the money, but I feel really bad for agreeing to come with you to the dinner and getting paid for it when we don’t even know each other…,” Hongjoong trails off when he sees Seonghwa pout. ‘ _He looks so adorable,’_ Hongjoong thinks before clearing his throat. “Why don’t we get to know each other first, then I’ll decide?” Hongjoong asks, rather than says, unsure himself.

Seonghwa’s eyes lit up as he grabs Hongjoong’s hands and Hongjoong almost feels his heart jump out of his chest. The way Seonghwa was looking at him, wide eyes and with such a happy smile was bad for his heart. “Really? Thank you! Thank you! Thank-,” Seonghwa pauses when he sees Hongjoong’s red face and realizes the position they were both in. “I’m sorry,” he says as he slowly backs away.

Hongjoong clears his throat. “No, it’s okay. I was just surprised. Well then, how should we go at this?”

“Are you free tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Hongjoong says after looking at his phone.

Seonghwa smiles. “Then, why don’t we meet tomorrow? Oh, but I’ll have to go somewhere to buy some ingredients tomorrow, hm…,” Seonghwa trails off as he tilts his head. “But I don’t want to impose on you or force you to accompany me…,” Seonghwa mumbles to himself.

Hongjoong chuckles to himself as he watches Seonghwa furrow his eyebrows, in conflict with himself. “Well, I don’t mind accompanying you tomorrow. This is to get to know you better, after all,” he smiles.

“Oh…,” Seonghwa pauses before widening his eyes. “Oh! Then, let’s meet tomorrow at around 10 in front of the station,”

“Sure,”

Seonghwa fidgets with his phone for a while before sliding it in front of Hongjoong. “Your number…,”

“Oh, right,” Hongjoong chuckles as he types his number into Seonghwa’s contacts, before calling himself to save Seonghwa’s number. “Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow,”

Seonghwa nods his head and says goodbye as Hongjoong excuses himself first, saying he needed to go to his next class. When the door closes, Seonghwa allows himself to relax himself. He stretches his neck, feeling it sore after being tensed the whole time. He opens up their group chat and tells his friends about what had just transpired. He closes his phone and lets out a long, deep sigh before standing up and fixing himself.

“Good luck for tomorrow!” Seonghwa whispers to himself just before he opens the door and leaves the consultation room, greeting the secretary with a smile and thanking her for her help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they finally met!  
> i don't know if you like how this chapter turned out  
> but i think hongjoong's reaction is pretty realistic  
> i mean...  
> anyways...please leave a comment and tell me what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

If Seonghwa were to describe how he was currently feeling in one word, nervous wouldn’t even cover half of it. He has been up since the crack of dawn to prepare himself for his date – _outing_ , as he corrected Yeosang earlier – together with Hongjoong later that day. There were so many things to do but so little time. “Y’know, with the way you’re acting, people might really suspect you’re going on a date,” Yeosang tells him from his spot in the living room, as Seonghwa rummages through his closet for something to wear – something he has been doing for the past hour and a half.

“It’s not a date!” Seonghwa counters, only to hear Yeosang laugh in that monotonous way of his. “Why are you laughing?”

“You’ve been trying on clothes for an hour and a half and you still have the audacity to not call it a date?” Yeosang says as he makes his way into Seonghwa’s room, only to be greeted by a stack of clothes scattered on the usually carefully made bed. “Huh…,”

Seonghwa glances at his bed and scratches his neck in embarrassment. “It’s not a date. He’s just going to accompany me to buy ingredients for my perfumes,”

“But you also said that he agreed to accompany you to get to know you,” Yeosang raises an eyebrow. “Y’know, like in a date,” he points out.

“I haven’t been in one so I wouldn’t really know,” Seonghwa mentions as he puts a shirt against his body to check how it looked. “I’m choosing this one,” Seonghwa says as he shows Yeosang the shirt he picked out. Yeosang nods and hands him a choker from his collection to complete his outfit.

“Y’know, sometimes I forget just how sheltered you’ve been, our dear perfect Seonghwa-hyung,” Yeosang says as he helps Seonghwa arrange his clothes back to his closet. “I mean, you’ve never even been on a date even when there are people who’d do anything to go on one with you,”

Seonghwa raises an eyebrow. “I think you’re exaggerating. Also, you haven’t been on one either,”

“Mine is more of a personal preference and the fact that I don’t have time for it, y’know,” Yeosang explains as he hands Seonghwa the last article of clothing scattered on his bed. “Besides, I’m still young. There’ll be more chances for me to meet people in the future,”

“You sound like someone who plays around. You should meet people in with the intention of settling down,”

It was now Yeosang’s turn to raise an eyebrow as he stares at Seonghwa. “You sound like an old man, hyung. Sure, I get all that, but you can’t be sure that the person you meet is ‘the one’ y’know so you will have to meet a lot of people,”

Seonghwa was about to retort back when the ringing of his phone cuts him. He glances at the screen and frowns a bit before calming himself and puts on his well-perfected, amiable smile. “Hello, good morning to you, Mr. Lee,” Yeosang rolls his eyes at the perfect business tone Seonghwa was using. “I understand your concern, Mr. Lee, but I assure you that there is no need to worry. Yes, I’m sure your son is an amazing man. Yes. Again, there is no need for concern. If there isn’t anything else, I will be excusing myself. Good day to you, Mr. Lee,” Seonghwa says before hanging up and rolling his eyes.

“What was that about?”

Seonghwa sighs. “He’s one of the executives. Apparently, he caught word of my conversation with my mother so he’s been pushing me to meet his son. It’s been really annoying,”

“Some more stuff about the life of the rich and famous I wouldn’t understand,” Yeosang shrugs, earning a light slap on the shoulder from Seonghwa. “Anyways, are you ready? What time are you meeting?”

Seonghwa glances at the clock on his wall as he begins fixing his hair. “Around 10. I still have time left,” he says as he finishes up. “How do I look?”

Yeosang stares at Seonghwa from head to toe. “Good to go, hyung,” Yeosang gives Seonghwa two thumbs ups. “I feel like a mother sending my child to his first da-outing,” Yeosang says, wiping a fake tear away. Seonghwa rolls his eyes as he gathers his things and places them in his bag.

“Well, wish me luck,”

-…-

“I-,” Hongjoong says in between breathes. “-hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long. I’m sorry for being late. I tried to get here as soon as I could,” Hongjoong explains as he glances at his watch. He was an hour late and he felt really bad for making Seonghwa wait.

Seonghwa shakes his head and offers Hongjoong something to wipe his sweat with. “It’s no worries. I was browsing through some of the shops here while waiting so I didn’t really notice the time,” he smiles and Hongjoong overhears people whispering about Seonghwa’s good looks while they pass. He glances at Seonghwa who doesn’t seem fazed by all the attention. “Why don’t we get something to drink first? You look like you need a drink,” he says as he lightly pats Hongjoong’s back before quickly retracting his hand. “Sorry,”

“It’s okay,” Hongjoong smiles. “And yeah, a drink would be nice,”

Seonghwa smiles and waits for Hongjoong to catch his breath. They begin walking towards a coffee shop near the station, taking short pauses whenever something catches their eye. “If you wouldn’t mind me asking, Hongjoong,” Seonghwa begins as they turn a corner. Hongjoong looks at him. “Why were you late today? I’m not mad or anything. Just curious. You don’t have to answer me if it’s personal. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked. You don’t have to-,” Seonghwa rambles on.

Hongjoong chuckles and pats Seonghwa’s shoulder, surprising the taller boy. “No need to worry about it, Seonghwa,” he says just as they arrive at the café. Hongjoong eyes the menu before turning to the other boy. “I’m going to have a coffee. How about you? A coffee as well?”

“I don’t like bitter stuff,” Seonghwa sheepishly smiles. “I’ll have a strawberry smoothie and a strawberry cake, please” Seonghwa moves to get his wallet before getting stopped by Hongjoong.

“I was late so I’ll pay for it,” Seonghwa was about to protest but Hongjoong already gave the cashier the money for their food.

Seonghwa pouts. “Fine. But I’m paying for lunch,” he says as he takes a seat.

Hongjoong nods with a light chuckle. He gets up to claim their order from the counter. “I didn’t expect you to be so competitive with paying for food, Seonghwa,” Hongjoong teases as he takes a seat across Seonghwa.

“I guess it has something to do with how I was raised,” Seonghwa offers Hongjoong his cake, who politely declines. “My father always remind us to repay another person’s good deed. I guess it stuck to me. I hope you don’t take it the wrong way though…,” Seonghwa trails off.

Hongjoong raises an eyebrow as he takes a sip of his coffee. “Why would I?”

Seonghwa slices a bit of his cake before replying. “Growing up, people would smile and thank me, but then, they’d end up talking behind my back, saying I was flaunting my wealth,” Seonghwa explains.

“I guess the rich have their problems too,”

“People will always have problems, whether they are rich or not. I want people to know me because I am me, not because I am my parents’ child,” Seonghwa says, a certain fire in his eyes. “But I guess something good did come out of it,” he smiles.

Hongjoong tilts his head and raises an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”

Seonghwa smiles as he stares right at Hongjoong’s eyes. “It taught me how to look at people properly; taught me how to know if someone is a good person or not,”

Hongjoong leans forward, resting his head on his palm. “And where do I fit in that, Park Seonghwa?” he asks, a teasing smirk gracing his features.

Seonghwa takes a careful sip of his smoothie before looking right back at Hongjoong. “I’ve never been wrong when it comes to my first impressions, Kim Hongjoong,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i'm sorry this chapter took so long.  
> things have been crazy since the comeback started  
> and i also took a semi break a few days ago  
> i've written part of this chapter a long time ago  
> but i couldn't finish it because i was busy irl  
> also, follow me on twitter @/ennhwa  
> i sometimes post snippets there


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